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The Telomere Paradox
What if the atom bomb failed—and cold war immortality succeeded?
In an alternate 1950s, the world never saw the flash of Hiroshima. Nuclear fission was a dead end, and the Cold War turned to a different kind of arms race—the war for eternal life.
Dr. Adrian Hale, an American biologist haunted by loss and working in the new field of telomere science, receives a message from behind the Iron Curtain:
A Soviet researcher claims to have unlocked the secret of human immortality.
Desperate for answers, Hale journeys into a landscape of paranoia, espionage, and forbidden science—where every discovery carries a price. But the deeper he digs, the more he realizes the Soviet’s true ambition isn’t to conquer death…it’s to weaponize it.
From the laboratories of Moscow to the ruins of a world that might have been, The Telomere Paradox weaves Cold War tension with haunting scientific possibility.
A gripping, thought-provoking novella for fans of Philip K. Dick, Michael Crichton, and Chernobyl.
The greatest discovery in human history could also be its end.
In an alternate 1950s, the world never saw the flash of Hiroshima. Nuclear fission was a dead end, and the Cold War turned to a different kind of arms race—the war for eternal life.
Dr. Adrian Hale, an American biologist haunted by loss and working in the new field of telomere science, receives a message from behind the Iron Curtain:
A Soviet researcher claims to have unlocked the secret of human immortality.
Desperate for answers, Hale journeys into a landscape of paranoia, espionage, and forbidden science—where every discovery carries a price. But the deeper he digs, the more he realizes the Soviet’s true ambition isn’t to conquer death…it’s to weaponize it.
From the laboratories of Moscow to the ruins of a world that might have been, The Telomere Paradox weaves Cold War tension with haunting scientific possibility.
A gripping, thought-provoking novella for fans of Philip K. Dick, Michael Crichton, and Chernobyl.
The greatest discovery in human history could also be its end.
103 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 18, 2024
2 people are currently reading
765 people want to read
About the author
James R. Zenner
3 books7 followersStarted life as a dairy farmer, but I changed my mind and worked on supercomputers instead. I have been doing that for 40 years now, and doing so for the last 25 years with Parkinson’s disease. Right now i’d rather write.
The Telomere Paradox
The Telomere Paradox
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September 21, 2025
I won this book and am very excited to read it!
I really enjoyed reading this book. I look forward to reading the next book. Thank you!
I really enjoyed reading this book. I look forward to reading the next book. Thank you!
Displaying 1 of 1 review